Ecology and Environment

10 Awesome Rail-Trails with First Day Hikes (on Jan. 1)

Posted 12/27/16 by Laura Stark, Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Ecology and Environment, Trail Destinations

Virginia's New River Trail State Park | Photo courtesy Virginia State Parks | CC by 2.0

On New Year’s Day, state parks around the U.S. offer free, guided First Day Hikes to help children and families kick off the New Year—and connect to nature. Last year, nearly 55,000 people participated! So many great rail-trails across the country claim state park status—and we figured there’s no better time than Jan. 1 for all of us to get started on our 2017 rail-trail journey. Here are just 10 great ways you can bring in the New Year on America’s awesome rail-trails.

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Hit the trails and #OptOutside for some feel-good fun and fresh air. | Photo courtesy Cleo Fogal | CC by 2.0

Five Feel-Good Ways to #OptOutside on Black Friday

Posted 11/15/16 by Suzanne Matyas in Taking Action, America's Trails | Tagged with Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, How-to, Trail Use Tips

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is inviting you and your family to #OptOutside with us, REI and millions of others on Black Friday, Nov. 25, 2016! Grab your grandpa, Grover and the rest of the gang—and give the gift of time, sun and the great outdoors. Here’s a list of five ways you can go the extra mile and make a difference while you #OptOutside this year.

Fort Mason segment of the developing San Francisco Bay Trail in California | Photo by Cindy Barks

$90 Million Allocated to Trails, Biking and Green Infrastructure in California

Posted 09/13/16 by Laura Cohen in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with California, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Ecology and Environment, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Exciting developments in California! Last week, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.—along with Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon—announced California’s plans to allocate $900 million to programs specifically targeted toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions—while benefiting low-income areas, supporting clean transportation and reducing climate pollution.

RTC Youth Sojourn participants cross the Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey, on the Circuit Trails network. | Photo by Blake Rubin

23 Youth Tackle 170-Mile Watershed Sojourn in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Posted 09/01/16 by Anya Saretzky in Health and Wellness, Success Stories | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Community Events, Connected Systems, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Schools and Young People, Young Champions

As a culmination of our summer youth programming in the Greater Philadelphia Area, RTC brought 23 young people together this August for our second annual Youth Sojourn—a five-day bike ride over 170 miles of Circuit Trails in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Led by RTC Youth Engagement Coordinator Jolie Chylack and several Youth Leaders, the sojourn capped off a great summer of watershed health education programming.

Grand Teton Multi-use Pathway/Greater Yellowstone Trail, Wyoming | Photo by Camrin Dengel

Five Rail-Trails in America’s National Parks

Posted 08/11/16 by Suzanne Matyas in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Ecology and Environment, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Rail-trails travel through some of America’s most iconic places—including our national parks, which officially turn 100 years old this year (Aug. 25)! On the eve of the U.S. National Park Service centennial, we thought it was a great time to bring you this list of five national park rail-trails, which dot the country’s landscapes from the Great Lakes to Western Washington. So lace up your shoes—and go explore!

RTC Youth Leaders Allen Williams, Paul Jewell and Jaymere Copeland at the 2016 Youth Bike Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota | Photo by RTC/Anya Saretzky

Impressions from the 2016 National Youth Bike Summit in Minnesota

Posted 06/14/16 by Anya Saretzky in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Biking, Ecology and Environment, Schools and Young People, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Young Champions

During Memorial Day weekend, RTC’s Youth Leaders in the Philadelphia/Camden area attended the Youth Bike Summit at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jaymere Copeland, Paul Jewell and Allen Williams joined young people from across the country to learn and share ideas focused on using cycling as a tool to improve communities.

On the Jones Falls Trail in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland | Photo by Side A Photography

112 Years Later: Baltimore’s Trail Network Vision Is Coming of Age

Posted 05/10/16 by Katie Harris, Amy Kapp in Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Maryland, Walkability and Bikeability

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. painted a visionary picture for Baltimore in his comprehensive 1904 Report Upon the Development of Public Grounds for Greater Baltimore. His blueprints for Baltimore’s park system, which focused attention on the three stream valleys, are a shining example of effective urban planning. More than a century later, these stream valleys remain among the city’s greatest assets—and now, they are pieces of a new vision for a connected and more equitable Baltimore.

Carbon River trestle along the Foothills Trail in western Washington | Photo by Gene Bisbee

Destination: Washington—Following the Foothills Trail

Posted 05/01/16 by Gene Bisbee in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Ecology and Environment, Featured Magazine Articles, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Destinations, Washington

There’s a spot on the Foothills Trail in western Washington where I always slow down. It’s not a sudden steep climb or dicey patch of gravel that causes me to feather my bike brakes on the outskirts of Orting. It’s the imposing and ever-changing view of glacier-capped Mount Rainier seemingly emerging at the end of the trail.

2015 Youth Sojourn participants on the Circuit Trails network in Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Cy Maramangalam

Trails + Watersheds Get Philadelphia Youth Engaged on the Circuit Trails

Posted 09/24/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Ecology and Environment, Pennsylvania, Walkability and Bikeability, Young Champions

Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents are beginning to appreciate the importance of the regional connections made possible by the Circuit, a 750-mile in-progress trail network. Arguably no group understands that more than a handful of youth in Philadelphia, a dedicated crew of avid bicyclists, teammates and young minds called the Cadence Youth Cycling All-Stars.

Photo courtesy Hector Parayuelos | CC by 2.0

Enhancing the Everglades Through Environmentally Responsible Transportation

Posted 07/13/15 by Jane Yeager Cheffy in Building Trails, Taking Action | Tagged with Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Florida

The proposed River of Grass Greenway—a 12-to-14-foot-wide separated pathway that would run roughly parallel to U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) in Florida—allow access to natural areas while providing opportunities for active transportation. Learn more about this environmentally sound trail project.

Ruby Falls | Photo by Kelly Winstrom

Stewards of Lookout Mountain: Preserving a Tennessee Legacy

Posted 12/08/14 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Ecology and Environment, Tennessee

A unique partnership is being forged on a Tennessee mountain, both above and below ground. The Lookout Mountain Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust based just outside of Chattanooga, and Ruby Falls, a commercial business, are teaming up to celebrate and preserve the natural area they both call home.